Coin-operated time meter



CARL-AXEL ANDERSSON 4 COIN-OPERATED TIME METER Dec. 30, 1969 .4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 50, 19's? Fig.1

Dec. 30, 1969 CARL.AXEL ANDERSSON 3,486,324

COIN-OPERATED TIME METER Filed March 30, 1967 .4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2 H

\\Il1I'III/ZI 30, 1959 CARL-AXEL ANDERSSON 3, ,324..

COIN-OPERATED TIME METER Filed March 30, 196'? .4 Sheets-Sheet 5 k" ||||||mm....

Dec. 30, 1969 CARL-AXEL ANDERSSON 3,436,324

COIN-OPERATED TIME METER Filed March 30 196'? v .4Sheets-Sheec 4 lllllllllll United States Patent O 3,486,324 COIN-OPERATED TIME METER Carl-Axel Andersson, Bandhagen, Sweden, assignor to C-A Andersson & Co. Kommanditbolag, Stockholm, Sweden Filed Mar. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 627,029 Claims priority, application Sweden, Apr. 1, 1966, 4,432/66 Int. Cl. G07c 1/30 US. Cl. 58-141 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The meter comprises a housing with a plurality of coin insertion slots, a handle operable from the outside of the housing, a pointer and a dial inside the housing and visible from the outside through a window, a mechanism for setting the pointer upon rotation of the handle, a clock-work mechanism for returning the pointer from the set position to an initial position, and a winding mechanism operable by the handle to wind up the clockwork mechanism. A coin inserted through a coin insertion slot drops down into a corresponding slot in a coin carriage which is displaced a certain length during a first part of the rotation of the handle by means of a cam wheel rotated by the handle. During this displacement the coin strikes a finger on a coin follower which is movable parallel to the coin carriage. The coin follower is thereby moved a length depending on the slot through which the coin was inserted. The rotation of the handle is transferred to the pointer through a mechanism comprising a pawl coacting with a ratchet. The pawl is pivotally mounted on an arm rotating with the handle. A control member having a circular guide surface of stepwise varying width is located adjacent to the ratchet and pawl and is linked with the coin follower, so that the distance between the ratchet and the control member is changed in accordance with the length of motion of the coin follower. The guide surface on the control member keeps the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet during an angle of rotation depending on the position of the control member in relation to the pawl and ratchet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a coin-operated time meter and particularly to a parking meter for collecting coins which are deposited by the user as a fee or service charge for the privilege of parking his automobile adjacent the meter for a definite time period.

Various parking meters have been devised which allow the use of coins of several different values for their operation. Meters of this kind are for obvious reasons considered more advantageous than meters which are operable only by coins of one single value. However meters operable by means of coins of different values are of necessity more complicated than meters operableby coins of only one value. Also, the more complicated mechanism of such meters make them more liable to faults and damage upon rough handling Another problem involved in the design of parking meters is to make the meter safe against fraudulent handling so that the user cannot by manipulating the handle in a certain manner obtain a longer time period than corresponds to the value of the deposited coins. Moreover, it should be possible to alter the meter in a simple manner to adapt it for different coin values, for different maximum parking periods and for different fees per time unit. The invention provides a meter of a relatively simple construction which meets these demands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention the meter comprises two members, in the following named coin carriage and coin follower, which are slidable in parallel to each other from an initial position against the action of return forces from spring means, and a coin gauge which is fixed in relation to the frame of the meter. The operating handle is arranged to actuate a member which during a first part of the rotation of the handle displaces the coin carriage a certain length from the initial position and during part of the continued rotation of the handle retains the coin carriage in the reached position. The coin carriage is provided with slots extending substantially at right angles to the direction of travel of the coin carriage and so arranged that a coin inserted through a coin insertion slot when the coin carriage is in the initial position drops down into a corresponding slot in the coin carriage. The slots in the coin carriage have such a length and width as to allow the coins to pass through the same, and the coin gauge is so formed and arranged in relation to the coin carriage that when the coin carriage is in the initial position the coin gauge retains an inserted coin in the corresponding slot but when the coin carriage has been moved a certain length from the initial position the coin gauge no longer prevents the coin from falling through the slot. Therefore the coin will be carried along by the coin carriage during its displacement along the said length. The coin follower is provided with coin engagement members, one such coin engagement member being provided for each slot in the coin carriage, and each coin engagement member being so disposed that during the movement of the coin carriage from the initial position a coin resting in a corresponding slot will be forced against a corresponding coin engagement member of the coin follower, whereby the coin follower is carried along upon the continued displacement of the coin carriage. The coin engagement members of the coin follower and the slots in the coin carriage are so arranged that when the coin carriage and the coin follower are in the initial position the coin engagement members are at different horizontal distance from the corresponding slots. During the movement of the coin carriage, the coin follower will therefore be carried along a length depending on the slot in which the coin is located. For the transfer of the rotational motion of the handle to the pointer there is provided a coupling system which is controlled by means of a control member which can be moved to different positions and makes the coupling system ineffective for a greater or smaller part of the rotation of the handle, said control member being operable by the coin follower so that it is set in accordance with the displacement of the coin follower.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the parking meter.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the front part of the meter mechanism.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the rear part of the meter mechanism.

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 show various details of the mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT tion of coins of three different diameters. These slot may be located in a plate which is removable from the rest of the casing so that it can easily be replaced by another plate having slots adapted to other coin diameters.

The mechanism of the meter is mounted on three supporting or frame members 301, 302 and 303 which are held together by spacing members 321, 322, 323, 324, 325 and 326. The front frame member 301 is provided with slots (not visible in the drawings) in alignment with the coin insertion slots 16, 18, 20. The slots in the frame member are however of equal length which is somewhat larger than the diameter of the largest coin to be used in the meter.

The scale or dial 390 of the meter is removably mounted on the top of the middle frame member 302. The frame member 302 also carries the clock-work mechanism of the meter. For the sake of clarity the clock-work mechanism is not shown in the drawings, but in FIG- URE 3 are shown its winding arbor 526 and a driver member 538 which is coupled to the outgoing shaft of the clock-work mechanism. The winding arbor 526 is coupled by means of a driver means 522 to a gear wheel 360 which is caused to rotate in a manner to be described later when the operating handle 383 is turned. The driver 538 is in engagement with the pointer 361 and is coupled to the outgoing shaft of the clock-work mechanism by means of a friction coupling (not shown) of known kind so that the pointer 361 can be moved in relation to the outgoing shaft of the clock-work mechanism during the setting operation. At least two coacting gear wheels in the clock-wise mechanism are interchangeable with gear wheels having another gear ratio so that the running speed of the pointer and the maximum allowable time can be easily changed. In other respects the clock-work mechanism is of conventional design.

The meter is also provided with two indicators 368 and 369 which are pivotally mounted on a spacing member 323 and 324 respectively and which are visible through the windows in the dome 14 when they are in up-turned position. The indicator 368 which for instance can bear the legend fee not paid, is turned up when the allotted time period has expired. The indicator 369 which for instance may bear the legend continue turning the handle, is turned up when the turning of the handle 383 is commenced and remains in the up-turned position until the turning has been completed. How these indicators are actuated will be described in detail later.

The operating handle 383 of the meter is attached to a shaft 336 by means of a friction coupling (not shown). The friction coupling prevents the mechanism from being damaged upon too violent turning of the handle.

At that end which is located inside the meter, the shaft 336 carries an arm 337 (FIG. 3) which is rigidly secured to shaft 336 and extends at right angles therefrom. At a certain distance from shaft 336 the arm 337 is provided with an opening 344. Into the opening 344 extends a pin 345 which is attached to gear wheel 333. The gear wheel 333 is coaxial with shaft 336 but is not fixed to this shaft. The arm 337 with the opening 344 together with the pin 345 forms a driver device by means of which the rotation of the handle 383 is transferred to the gear wheel 333. However, the opening 344 has a larger diameter than the pin 345 and therefore the said driver device has a certain lost motion. At its free end arm 337 also carries a pawl 341 which is pivoted on a shaft 338 attached to arm 337. A cylindrical spring 343 is fixed between a spring support 340 on pawl 341 and another support 342 on gear wheel 332. Said spring 343 holds the arm 337 in a certain limit position for said lost motion in relation to gear wheel 333 when no turning moment is exerted on handle 383 and also exerts a turning moment on the pawl 341 so that this can be caused o c p a e with a oothed member 351..

The toothed member 351 is secured to a shaft 354 which which is geared to the pointer 361 by means of the two gear wheels 350, the shaft 347 and the gear wheel 348 so that the rotation of the toothed member 351 causes a rotation of the pointer 361 and vice versa. The shaft 354 is journalled at one end in the frame member 303, and its other end is secured into the hub 352 (FIG- URE 3) of the toothed member 351. Also one end of shaft 336 extends into the hub of the toothed member 351 but is not secured to this. Thus a rotation of shaft 336 is transferred to shaft 354 only if the pawl 341 is in engagement with the toothed member 351. The pawl 341 is guided into and out of engagement with the toothed member 351 by means of control members 371 and 353 in a manner to be described later.

The gear wheel 333 is in engagement with a gear wheel 360 which is coupled to the winding arbor 526 of the clockwork mechanism by means of the driver device 522.

Coaxially with the gear wheel 333 and rigidly secured thereto are ararnged a ratchet wheel 355 (FIGURES 2 and 4), cam wheels 332, 334 (FIGURE 4) and 331 (FIGURES 2, 4, 5) and a sleeve or shaft 346 (FIG- URE 2) which concentrically surrounds shaft 336. All these parts will thus rotate together with the gear wheel 333 when this is rotated under the action of the arm 337.

The ratchet wheel 355 coacts with a pawl 335 which is permanently held in engagement with the ratchet wheel 355 by a spring 317 (FIGURE 4). The ratchet wheel 355 is toothed along its whole periphery except at a portion against which pawl 335 rests when the mechanism is in its initial position. Therefore, when the handle 383 has been turned through a certain angle from the initial position it can then be turned only in one direction apart from a slight backward rotation which is made possible by the lost motion in the driver means 337, 345.

The cam wheel 334 is adapted to actuate the coin carriage 310 (FIGURE 4). This is movable horizontally and is supported and guided by guide means 304 and 305 (FIGURE 4) arranged between frame members 301 and 302. The coin carriage 310 has an H-like cross-section, and its rear vertical part is at its lower edge provided with a shoulder 320 which is positioned in a corresponding recess 339 in the cam wheel 334 when the coin carriage 310 is in the initial position as shown in FIGURE 4. When the cam wheel 334 is rotated clockwise, the coin carriage 310 is therefore displaced (to the right in FIG- URE 4) until the shoulder 320 has been wholly removed from the recess 339 in the cam wheel 334. During the continued rotation of cam wheel 334 the corner of the shoulder 320 will abut against the periphery of the cam wheel 334 until the cam wheel has performed a whole revolution, and then the coin carriage 310 is returned to the initial position by the action of spring 315 (FIGURE 2) since the shoulder 320 can now again enter the recess 339 in the cam wheel 334.

The rear vertical portion of coin carriage 310 is at its upper edge provided with a notch 406 (FIGURES 2 and 4). A pin 407 which is attached to the indicator 369, extends into this notch, and when the coin carriage 310 is moved from its initial position the indicator 369 is therefore turned upwards so it becomes visible through the window of the meter.

The coin carriage 310 is also provided with three slots 401, 402 and 403 (FIGURE 4) each of which has one part in the front vertical portion of the coin carriage and another part in the horizontal portion of the coin carriage. The slots extend at right angles to the direction of travel of the coin cariage, and when the coin carriage is in its initial position the slots are in alignment with the corresponding coin insertion slots 16, 18, 20 (FIGURE 1) in the casing of the meter. The slots have such a length and width as to allow coins to pass therethrough.

Beneath the coin carriage 310 is a fixed coin gauge 307 (FIGURES 2 and 5) which consists of a plate which is parallel to the horizontal part of the coin carriage and which is provided with an aperture situated under the horizontal parts of the slots 401-403 in the coin carriage. Those parts of this aperture which are situated beneath different slots have different width, the width being so chosen in relation to the diameters of the coins to be inserted in the respective insertion slot that an inserted coin having the right diameter is prevented by the coin gauge from wholly falling through the corresponding slot in the coin carriage as long as this is in the initial position. When the coin carriage is moved from its initial position, the inserted coin will therefore be carried along by the carriage until the coin arrives over a part of the aperture in the coin gauge 307 having such a width that it no longer prevents the coin from falling through the slot in the coin carriage.

Beneath the carriage 310 and the coin gauge 307 is positioned a coin follower 311 (FIGURES 2 and 5) which like the coin carriage is horizontally slidable in the guide members 304 and 305. The coin follower 311 is provided with three coin engagement members 411, 412 and 413 (FIGURE 5) which are in the form of lugs or teeth which extend upwards through the aperture in the coin gauge 307. The coin engagement members 411-413 are so arranged in relation to the slots 401-403 in the coin carriage 310 that during the travel of the coin carriage from the initial position a coin resting in a slot will strike against a corresponding coin engagement member on the coin follower whereby this is carried along upon the continued travel of the coin carriage. The coin engagement members are also so disposed in relation to the corresponding slots in the coin carriage that in the initial position of the coin carriage and the coin follower the coin engagement members are at different horizontal distances from the respective corresponding slots, whereby during the travel of the coin carriage the coin follower will be carried along for a distance the length of which is dependent of the slot in which the coin is deposited. In the embodiment illustrated on the drawing and in the initial position the horizontal distance between coin engagement member 411 and the corresponding slot 401 is relatively small, the distance between the coin engagement member 412 and the corresponding slot 402 is somewhat larger, and the distance between the coin engagement member 413 and the corresponding slot 403 is still larger (see FIGURE 2). Thus the length of travel of the coin follower 311 becomes largest if a coin is deposited in slot 401.

At its lower portion the coin follower 311 is provided with a bent edge 415 (FIGURE 5) which forms a stop member which extends into the path of movement of a shoulder 416 (FIGURE 4) on cam wheel 331 when the coin follower is in the initial position. If the cam wheel 331 is rotated through a certain angle from the initial position without the coin follower 311 being displaced, that is if no coin is deposited in the meter, the shoulder 416 will strike against the stop member 415 thereby preventing f'urther rotation of the cam wheel 331. The said angle is so chosen that if the coin follower 311 is dis placed under the action of a coin deposited in any of slots 401403 in the .coin carriage, the stop member 415 will be moved out of the path of movement of the shoulder 416 before the rotation through the said angle has been completed. In this case the rotation of the cam Wheel 331 can be continued and hence also the turning of the handle 383 can be continued.

The coin follower 311 is subjected to a restoring force from a spring 314 (FIGURE 5) which strives to return the coin follower to the initial position. If a coin has been inserted in one of the slots in the coin carriage 310 and the carriage has been moved so far that the coin is situated over that part of the aperture in the coin gauge 307 which has larger width than the diameter of the coin, the coin will not at once drop through the aperture in the coin gauge but is firmly held between one side of the slot (e.g. 401) and the corresponding coin engagement member (e.g. 411) of the coin follower 311 due to the action of spring 314. To enable the coin to be released the cam wheel 331 is provided with a raised portion 417, and before the cam wheel 331 has completed a revolution this raised portion is pressed against the said stop member 415 on the coin follower 331 and thereby the coin follower is moved still farther from the initial position whereby the coin engagement member (e.g. 401) is moved out of engagement with the coin so that this is released and descends through the aperture in the coin gauge 307 into a coin chute (not shown) leading to the coin receptacle of the meter.

At its lower edge the coin follower 311 has a second shoulder 420 (FIGURE 2) which during the displacement of the coin follower from the initial position strikes against one arm 421 of a bell crank 309 so that this is rotated about its pivot 308 (FIGURE 2). The second arm 422 .of the bell crank 309 is adapted to cooperate with a shoulder 423 on a bar 358. The bar 358 is carried by the spacing member 326 which extends through holes in the bent ends of bar 358. Thus the bar 358 is displaceable parallel to the shafts 336 and 354 under the action of the bell crank 309. The displacement of the bar 358 takes place against the restoring force from a spring 357.

The rear end of bar 358 which is bent at right angles to the main part of the bar, carries a control member 353 which is shown separately in FIGURE 6. As appears most clearly from FIGURE 6 the control member 353 is provided with an arcuate surface 453 which is concentric with the axis of the toothed member 351. The control member 353 is provided with a recess which extends to the center of the guide surface, and rests by this recess on shaft 354. The radius of the guide surface 453 is somewhat larger than the radius of the are formed by the points of the teeth on the toothed member 351. The control member 353 is so arranged in relation to the path of movement of the pawl 341 that depending on the set position of the control member 353 a larger or smaller portion of the guide surface 453 is in the path of movement of the pawl 341 and thereby prevents the pawl from coming into engagement with the toothed member 351 during a corresponding part of the movement of the pawl. For this purpose that part of the pawl 341 which is intended to engage the toothed member 351 has a lateral extension so that it can also come into engagement with the guide surface 453.

The pawl 341 is in the form of a two-armed lever one end of which is formed for engagement with the toothed member 351 and for coacting with the guide surface 453, while its other end is adapted to cooperate with a fixed control member 371 which is attached to the frame member 302. The control member 371 has an arcuate guide surface concentric with the shaft 354. This guide surface coacts with the pawl 341 and is so positioned and has such a radius that the pawl 341 cannot be rotated to engagement position as long as its second end is in contact with the guide surface on control member 371. Also the control member 371 is so disposed and has such a peripheral extension that the pawl 341 is in engagement with it when the arm 337 which carries the pawl 341 is in its initial position, and remains in contact with the control member 371 during the first part of the regular motion of arm 337 until the engagement end of the pawl 341 is moved to a position above the guide surface 453 on the movable control member 353. Then the control member 371 no longer prevents the pawl 341 from being turned against the toothed member 351, but during a larger or smaller portion (depending on the position of control member 353) of the continued rotation the engagement end of the pawl will be kept out of engagement with the toothed member by the guide surface 453. Only when the pawl 341 comes out of engagement with the guide surface 453 is it moved into engagement with the toothed member 351 and this member will then be rotated during the continued angular motion of the arm 337. The rotation of the toothed member 351 is transferred via shaft 354, the two gear wheels 350, shaft 347 and gear wheel 348 to the pointer 361. Before the pawl 341 is returned to the initial position it comes again in engagement with the guide surface on the fixed control member 371 and is moved by this guide surface out of engagement with the toothed member 351.

The guide surface 453 on the control member 353 may be so formed that even when the control member in its initial position (that is the position nearest to the toothed member 351) it allows the pawl 341 to come in engagement with the toothed member during a certain part of the movement of the pawl. The movement transfer mechanism (bar 358 and bell crank 309) between the coil follower 311 and the control member 353 is in that case arranged for a certain lost motion which permits the coin follower to be moved a certain length from the initial position without the control member 353 being actuated. Such lost motion can be obtained in a simple manner by providing a certain distance between the shoulder 420 on the coin follower 311 and the arm 421 of the bell crank 309 in the initial position so that the shoulder 420 will not strike the arm 421 until the coin follower 311 has been moved a certain distance from the initial position. In this case one of the coin engagement members 411- 413 on the coin follower 311 is so disposed in relation to the corresponding one of the slots 401-403 in the coin carriage that the coin follower when a coin is present in the slot is carried along by the motion of the coin carriage through a length which is insufficient to actuate the bar 358. This length, however, must be so large that the shoulder 416 on the cam wheel 331 does not strike the stop member 415 on the coin follower 311.

The illustrated embodiment is designed for coins of three different values (diameters). The slot 401 in the coin carriage 310 is intended to receive coins of the largest value, the slot 402 coins of a medium value and the slot 403 coins of the smallest value. If a coin of the correct value is introduced into the slot 401 and the handle 383 is turned, the control member 353 will be moved a maximum length in a direction away from the toothed member 351 so that the pawl 341 during its angular motion will be in contact with the guide surface 453 only until it reaches the edge 454 (FIGURE 6) whereupon it is released from the guide surface and comes into engage ment with the toothed member 351. If a coin of the medium size is introduced into the slot 402 the pawl is kept out of engagement with the toothed member 351 until it reaches the edge 455 on the guide surface 453. If finally a coin of the smallest value is introduced in the slot 403 the control member 353 remains in this initial position, and the pawl 341 will not come into engagement with the toothed member 351 until it has passed by the edge 456 of the guide surface 453. If by mistake several coins have been inserted simultaneously in different slots in the coin carriage the pointer 361 will be set to a time period corresponding to the coin of the largest value. If a coin having a smaller diameter than the coin which the respective slot is intended to receive, is introduced in a slot in the coin carriage, this coin will drop through coin gauge 307 directly into the coin chute 318. The insertion of a coin having a larger diameter than that which the slot in the coin carriage is intended to receive is prevented as mentioned above, by the coin insertion slots 16, 18, 20 in the casing of the meter.

In the foregoing paragraph it Was assumed that the diameter of the coin is larger the larger the value of the coin. However, the meter is equally Well adaptable to coins having other relationships between diameter and value.

The pointer 361 is attached to a hub 461 which consists of two coaxial plates between which the base of the pointer is held. The hub 461 is journalled on a shaft attached to the frame member 302. One plate of the hub is in the form of a gear wheel which is in engagement with the gear wheel 348 on shaft 354. The other hub plate is a circular disc which is provided with a flange 462. This disc coacts with a pin 377 which is attached to the indicator 368. This indicator has an additional pin 378 which serves as an anchor for a spring 316 the other end of which is attached to a post 313 (FIGURE 2) attached to the frame of the meter. The post 313 also serves as an anchor for a spring 316 which actuates the coin carriage 310. The spring 316 strives to turn the indicator 368 to the turned-up position. As long as the pointer 361 has not returned to zero position the indicator 368 is kept in its down position since the pin 377 rides on the outside periphery of the flange 462. When pointer 361 has returned to the zero position, an opening in the flange 462 is situated in front of pin 377, and the indicator is then turned upwards by the action of spring 316, while pin 377 is moved into the opening in flange 462. The indicator 368 is turned down again and the pin 377 is moved out when the meter is operated again, since the coin carriage by its rear vertical part actuates the pin 378 on indicator 368 so that this is turned to the down position.

In the shown embodiment, the poiner 361 after having returned to the zero position can continue its return movement through a certain angle. Hereby it is possible during a certain time after the expiration of the allotted period to establish exactly by how long time the allotted period has been exceeded provided that the dial 390 has a suitable graduation even before the zero point. If the pointer 361 shows minus time it is returned to the zero position at the beginning of a new setting operation by the cam wheel 332 (FIGURE 4) which acts upon one end of a two-armed lever 343 (FIGURE 5 the other end of which is thereby pressed against a rib 463 on the hub 461 and moves the pointer to the zero position. This of course occurs before the pawl .341 can come into engagement with the toothed member 351. The minus time, if any, is therefore not substracted from the time period corresponding to the value of the inserted coin.

As will be seen in FIGURE 3, teeth of the toothed member 351 are arranged in an arc concentric to the shaft 354, and this are only comprises part of a complete circle. This toothed arc is so dimensioned and arranged that upon setting of the pointer 361 to maximum time the toothed part of the member 351 is entirely moved out of the range in Which the pawl 341 would normally be able to engage it. Thus if the pointer 361 is set to maximum time, and notwithstanding the insertion of another coin in the meter and the handle 383 operated, the pawl 341 will not come into engagement with the member 351 during this rotation because the engagement end of the pawl 341 does not arrive in front of the extreme tooth in the tooth row on member 351 until pawl 341 with its other end again comes into contact with the fixed control member 371 and is turned out of engagement position. When the pointer 361 is returned to the initial position by the clock-work mechanism the toothed member 351 is simultaneously rotated backwards since it is connected for the transfer of the rotational motion to the pointer 361 in the manner described above.

When no turning force is exerted on the handle 383, the arm 337 is held by the action of spring 343 in such position that a certain point on the inner edge of the opening 344 engages pin 345 on the gear wheel 333 as shown in FIGURE 6. In this position a part of the pawl 341 also is engaged by the pin 345 so that the pawl is kept out of engagement position even if the control members 371 and 353 do not prevent it from assuming the position in which it can engage the toothed member 351. When the handle 383 and shaft 336 is rotated, only arm 337 will participate in this rotation at its beginning, and the arm 337 is then rotated against the action of spring 343 in relation to the gear wheel 333 until a second point on the edge of the opening 344 strikes against the pin 345 whereupon the gear wheel 333 and the members connected thereto are caused to rotate during the continued rotation of the handle 383. Then the pawl 341 is no longer prevented by pin 345 from assuming its effective engagement position. If the person operating the handle 383 releases his hold of the handle before the turning has been completed and while the pawl 341 is still in engagement with the toothed member 351, the arm 337 under the action of spring 343 is swung back to its initial position in relation to the gear wheel 333 whereby the pawl 331 is turned by pin 345 out of engagement with the toothed member 351. Therefore, if the turning of the handle is unintentionally or intentionally not completed, the pawl 341 will not prevent the member 351 and the pointer 361 from performing the return movement under the action of the clock-work mechanism.

The meter provided by this invention can easily be adapted to different coin values and different maximum time periods and different taxes.

As mentioned above the maximum allowed time period can be changed by changing a pair of gear wheels in the clock-work mechanism. The dial is attached to the frame member 302 by means of screws and can also easily be replaced by another dial if necessary.

The two gear wheels 350 are arranged so that they are easily removable and can be replaced by two other gear wheels having another gear ratio so that the ratio of the rotational speed of the toothed member and that of the pointer 361 can easily be changed which means a change of the time obtainable for a coin of a given value.

The coin gauge 307 which consists of a simple plate with a punched-out opening of suitable form, is also easily removable and interchangeable so that the meter can easily be adapted to different coin values.

The shape of the guide surface 453 on the control member 353, and particularly the mutual relations between the lengths of parts having different width, is dependent on the mutual relations between the coin values forawhich the meter is designed, and in order that it shall be possible to change these relations easily, if so desired, the control member 353 is also easily removable and interchangeable. Thus, it is attached by means of one or more screws to the rear bent end of the bar 358, and for changing the control member these screws need only be loosened.

It is desirable that the user of the meter is always given a certain overtime, that is a time period somewhat longer than he is entitled to by the value of the deposited coin. In the meter according to this invention the overtime can easily be adjusted by means of the fixed control member 371. This control member can be easily loosened by means of a wing nut 372 and moved somewhat in the peripheral direction, whereby the angular position of arm 337 at which the pawl 341 before the end of the rotation is moved out of engagement with the toothed member 351 can be varied.

The meter can be provided in known manner with a window through which the last inserted coin is visible. For this purpose the coin chute may be movable and arranged so that in its normal position it retains the descending coin in a position before said window and after a new coin has been inserted and the rotation of handle 383 has been commenced, the coin chute is moved e.g. by means of one of the cam wheels of the mechanism and releases the retained coin so that this drops down into the coin receptacle of the meter whereupon the coin chute returns to normal position before the new coin descends into it.

The meter described above and shown in the accompanying drawing is given by way of example only and can be modified in many ways Within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Coin-operated time meter comprising a pointer and a dial for indicating a time period allotted to a user upon the deposit of one or more coins in the meter, a plurality of coins insertion slots for coins having different diameters, a manually operable handle for setting the pointer to indicate the time period obtainable for the value of the deposited coins, a clock-work mechanism for returning the pointer from the set position to an initial position, and a winding mechanism operable by the handle for winding up the clock-work mechanism, wherein the improvement comprises coin carriage means (310) operable by said handle (383) to displace an inserted coin over a certain length, coin follower means (311) operable by a coin displaced by said coin carriage means (310) to be moved along a length depending on which of the coin insertion slots (16, 18, 20) the coin has been inserted through, a motion transmission system (336, 337, 345, 333, 341, 351, 350, 347, 348) for transferring the rotation of the handle (383) to the pointer (361), and control means (309, 358, 353) operable by said coin follower means (311) to make said mot-ion transmission system ineffective during a part of the rotation depending on the length of movement of the coin follower means 2. Coin-operated time meter comprising a pointer and a dial for indicating a time period, a plurality of coin insertion slots for coins having different diameters, and a manually operable handle by means of which the pointer after the insertion of a coin in the meter can be set, and a clock-work mechanism which is wound up upon turning the handle and which returns the pointer from the set position to an initial position, wherein the improvement comprises a coin carriage (310) and a coin follower (311), spring means (316, 314) acting respectively on said carriage and said follower to urge the same to respective initial positions, said carriage and coin follower being parallel to one another and being displaceable from their initial positions against the action of restoring forces from said spring means (316, 314), a coin gauge (307) fixed in relation to the frame of the meter, means (334) actuable by said handle (383), and during a first part of the rotation of the handl moves the coin carriage (310) a certain length from the initial position and during a part of the continued rotation of the handle retains the coin carriage (310) in the reached position, the coin carriage (310) having slots (401, 402, 403) in a number corresponding to the number of coin insertion slots, said slots extending substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the coin carriage and being so disposed that a coin inserted through a coin insertion slot (e.g. 20) when the coin carriage (310) is in the initial position descends into a corresponding slot (e.g. 401) in the coin carriage, and said slots having such length and width that the coins can pass therethrough, said coin gauge (307) having such shape and being so disposed in relation to the coin carriage (310) that when the coin carriage (310) is in the initial position the coin gauge (307) retains a deposited coin of the correct diameter in the slot but when the coin carriage has been moved a certain length from the initial position it no longer prevents the coin from dropping through the slots whereby the coin will be carried along by the coin carriage on its movements along said length, said coin follower (311) having coin engagement members (411, 412, 413), on such coin engagement member being provided for each slot (401, 402, 403) in the coin carriage (310) and being so disposed that during the movement of the coin carriage (310) from the initial position a coin resting in a slot (e.g. 401) will strike the corresponding coin engagement member (e.g. 411) on the coin follower (311) whereby said coin follower is carried along on the continued movement of the coin carriage, said coin engagement members on the coin follower and slots in the coin carriage being so arranged that when the coin carriage and the coin follower are in the initial position the coin engagement members are at different horizontal distances from the respective corresponding slots, whereby during the movement of the coin carriage the coin follower will be carried along a length depending on the slot in which 1 1 the coin has been inserted, the meter further comprising a motion transmission system (336, 337, 345, 333, 341, 351, 350, 347, 348) for transferring the rotation of the handle (383) to the pointer (361), a first control member 353) coupled to said motion transmission system to control the same, said first control member (353) being movable to different positions and according to its set position makes the motion transmission system ineffective during a larger or smaller portion of the rotation of the handle, said first control member (353) being operable by the coin follower (311) so that it is set in dependence on the movement of the coin follower.

3. A meter as claimed in claim 2, comprising a member (331) rotatable with handle (383) and having a shoulder (416) the coin follower (311) also being provided with a stop member (415 FIG. 5) which when the coin follower is in the initial position extends into the path of movement of shoulder (416 FIG. 4) on said member (331) so that the shoulder (416) strikes the stop member (415) and prevents further rotation of the handle if said handle has been rotated through a certain angle without the coin follower (311) having been moved, said angle being so chosen that if the coin follower is moved under the action of a coin resting in a slot in the coin carriage, said stop member is carried out of the path of movement of said shoulder before the rotation through said angle has been completed.

4. A meter as claimed in claim 2, wherein said motion transmission system for transferring the rotation of the handle (383) to the pointer (361) comprises a rotatable toothed member (351 FIG. 3), a gearing (350, 348) connecting said toothed member (351) with the pointer (361), a member (337) rotatable by said handle (383), and a pivotally mounted pawl (341) which is carried by said member (337) so that the pivot (338) of the pawl (341) on rotation of the handle moves along a circular path which is concentric to the axis of said toothed member (351), a spring (343) acting in said pawl (341) to swing the pawl (341) against said toothed member (351), said first control member (353 FIGS. 3 and 6) being displaceable parallel with the axis of the toothed member (351) and provided with an arcuate guide surface (453) concentric with the axis of the toothed member (351), said guide surface (453) having a width varying (454, 455, 456) axially and being so disposed in relation to the path of movement of said pawl (341) that depending on the position of said first control member a larger or smaller portion of the guide surface (453) is situated in the path of movement of the pawl (341), thereby preventing the pawl from coming into engagement with the toothed member during a corresponding part of the movement of the pawl.

5. A meter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guide surface (453) on said first control member (353) has such a shape that even when the first control member is in its initial position it permits said pawl (341) to come into engagement with the toothed member (351) during a certain part of the travel of the pawl, and a motion transmission system (309, 358) between the coin follower (311) and the first control member (353) has a certain lost motion permitting the coin follower to be moved a certain length from its initial position without the control member being actuated, one of said coin engagement members (e.g. 413) on the coin follower (311) being so situated in relation to the corresponding slot (403) in the coin carriage that the coin follower on the presence of a coin in this slot is carried along by the coin carriage a length which is insufiicient to cause said first control member to be actuated.

6. A meter as claimed in claim 4, a member (358) displaceable under the action of the coin follower 311), a spring (357) acting on said member (358) striving to keep it in a given initial position, said first control member (353) being movably attached to said member (358).

7. A meter as claimed in claim 4, which comprises means (335, 355 FIG. 4) arranged to act on a shaft (346) in the meter mechanism so that said shaft (346) after having been rotated through a certain angle from its initial position can be rotated only in one direction, a driven device (337, 345, 333) connecting said shaft (346) to the handle (383) said driver device (337, 345, 333) comprising a driver (337) attached to the said member carrying said pawl (341) and a driven member (333) which is fixed to said shaft (346) said driving device having a certain lost motion so that the driver (337) can be moved through a certain angle between two limit positions in relation to the driven member (333) without actuating the latter, and a spring means (343) between the driver (337) and the driven member (333), said spring means (343) striving to keep the driver in one limit position in relation to the driven member, said one limit position being so chosen that upon rotation of the handle (383) in the direction necessary for setting the pointer (361) the driver (337) is carried away from said one limit position to a second limit position and thereupon causes the driven members (333) to participate in the continued rotation in the same direction, said driven member also having means(345) for actuating the pawl (341) When the driver (337 is in said one limit position in relation to the driven member (333) so as to keep the pawl (341) out of the position in which it can engage the toothed member (351).

8. A meter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the motion transmission system for transferring the rotation of the handle to the pointer comprises a gearing having at least two gear wheels (350) which are readily removable and interchangeable in order to make possible a change of the gear ratio of the rotation of the handle and that of the pointer.

9. A meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pointer is driven by the clock-Work mechanism by means of a gearing having at least two gear wheels which are readily removable and replaceable in order to make possible a change of the maximum allotted time period.

10. A meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motion transmission system comprises a shaft (336) connected to the handle (383) by friction.

11. A meter as claimed in claim 4, which comprises a second control member (371) acting upon said pawl (341) to restrict it from engagement with said toothed member (351) at the end of the travel of the pawl, said second control member being adjustable to permit change of position of the point at which the pawl is retracted from engagement with the toothed member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,603,288 7/1952 Sollenberger 58-141 ROBERT S. WARD, JR., Primary Examiner EDITH C. SIMMONS, Assistant Examiner 

